The entire Shisui & Izumi part of this chapter takes place before Itachi's return to the village. Furthermore, it's somewhat of a continuation of what happened in chapter 32, so if you want to refresh your memory because it has been a while, go back and reread Izumi's POV there :)

Let's start this from the beginning

Swordsmen of the Mist

XIV

Izumi had gone on a number of dates over the last few years. Not too many, mind you, but enough to have an idea of what to expect. Because of that, she hadn't even been too nervous about them anymore after the second or third time, allowing her to concentrate fully on just having a good time.

Not that this was what usually happened. Honestly, she was already happy when they weren't a complete flop.

Maybe she had just too high standards –the two boys she usually hung out with were unnaturally mature for their ages, after all- and just expected too much from them, but all her dates tended to be… well, annoying and immature. Her mother guaranteed her that this was completely normal and that they would grow up in time, but she found that rather hard to believe.

Anyway, what she wanted to say with all of that was that she had long since outgrown being nervous about such things. After all, the worst thing that could happen was that she grew bored of her date and went home early. There simply was nothing to worry about.

Or, that was what she had thought.

Going on a date with a person you actually liked was apparently quite a bit different from just accepting the invitation from someone she barely knew and merely thought was cute. Who would have thought, right?

Izumi had this realization when Shisui appeared at her door at half-past seven to pick her up for Takijami's birthday party and she barely managed to stutter out a greeting before transforming into a blushing mess. Her mother fortunately rescued her before she could embarrass herself even further by talking his ear off about how handsome and similar to his late father he looked.

While Izumi had never met that man and thus couldn't say whether that was true, she could definitively confirm the former part.

Shisui wore a blue kimono so dark that it almost appeared black with a blood-red obi around his waist to hold it together and a kimono jacket with the Uchiha emblem prominently on the back over his shoulders, and in the fading daylight of the setting sun, he looked almost like a character right out from a fairy tale.

She had always been aware that Shisui was handsome, of course, but she hadn't really realized it until now.

That didn't excuse that she acted like a lovesick idiot that couldn't even speak without stuttering, though. The only reason she didn't die from embarrassment right there and then was that he, judging from his own stuttering and his burning face, didn't handle the situation any better than she did.

Naturally, her mother had a field day teasing the both of them by complicating how well their outfits matched each other and insisting on taking photos of all things.

Although, to be fair, she wasn't exactly wrong. Izumi wore a snow-white kimono with bright gold floral patterns and accents that became more prominent the further down her body you looked as well as an obi in a much richer shade of gold around her waist and the obligatory Uchiha emblem on her back, so the contrast between Shisui's outfit and hers was quite eye-catching.

With that in mind, she was suddenly very happy that Mikoto had ignored her complaints and insisted on giving them to her. Izumi hadn't wanted to accept it –she and her mother might not have much money, but they could afford some nice clothes for an event like this dammit!- and tried to politely turn the offer down, but in the end, she had given in.

In her defence, it was really hard to tell her 'no' when she explained that she had no daughters of her own to give her old clothes to and would rather see them being worn than rot away in a chest in the attic.

I should thank her later, she thought as she and Shisui walked towards the streets towards where the celebration was to take place.

"Do you go to this party every year?"

The question sounded banal even to her own ears, but Izumi was honestly tired of the awkward and tense silence that had persisted ever since they left her home.

"Gods, no!" Shisui exclaimed while nervously rubbing the back of his head. "I'm usually lucky enough to be on a mission at this time of the year. I went only… twice, I think? I know it was before I even made Chūnin because only Jōnin and ANBU missions are important enough to count as a polite excuse to decline Takijami's invitation."

She blinked, her own embarrassment momentarily forgotten at the absurdity of that claim. "Wait, but what if you're a Chūnin and need to leave for an escort mission to let's say the capitol? Takijami can't think of himself as more important than the daimyo, right?"

"Well, I don't think so. I guess he might let it go if you explain that to him, though you better don't expect to be invited to his birthday again afterwards anyway."

I shouldn't be surprised, she thought as she and Shisui chuckled about that. That's pretty much in line with what else I have heard about him.

"I better make Jōnin soon, then, because I have no intention of going there next year again."

Shisui gave her an amused look. "Why not? You haven't even been there yet. Maybe you will like it."

"Sure, because rubbing shoulders with pompous idiots who think money is the most important thing in the world and know nothing about what it means to be a shinobi sounds so interesting, right?"

"You know that at least half of the people there are shinobi, don't you?"

"The most well-connected members of the KMPF, maybe. Say, how many of them do you think left the village for a mission within the last year?"

"Ah, the disrespect! I'm sure Fugaku-san will be so disappointed to hear you talk about him and his subordinate like that."

Izumi playfully shoved him away, not even bothering to suppress her grin at his giddy laugh in response.

She wasn't serious, of course. Most people there –civilians and shinobi alike- probably weren't that bad at all, but it was amusing poking fun at them.

Shisui opened his mouth to add something else, most likely intending to tease her in some way or another, but it was then that they walked around a corner and came within view of their destination, making him snap his mouth shut again.

The Narisawa was the arguably most successful restaurant in all of Konoha. Not only was it located favourably in the greatest commercial area right in the centre of the village, but it was also run by people who found a way to successfully attract both the wealthy and the average citizens, consequently giving it the largest number of customers possible.

While it was impossible to see from the outside, the building was split into two on the inside in a way that made it basically impossible for any customers to walk or even look into the other half, and both sides had their very own entrance.

The northern entrance was located in a town square with normal shops in an average-income area and was held much more casual. In many ways, it wasn't any different from all the other restaurants one could find all over the village, though it still attracted a lot of customers due to its location.

The southern entrance, on the other hand, was in a high-class area where only the more affluent customers shopped and thus led into an interior that was set up in a way that those kinds of people usually preferred. In fact, one of the previous owners a few generations back had been a retired shinobi who had earned a lot of money by saving the daimyo's life and then invested almost all of it into expanding and redecorating the entire building. As a result, the southern half was one if not the most luxurious restaurant in all of Konoha.

Naturally, this meant that many rich people wanted to dine there which in turn meant that it was virtually impossible to get a seat without a reservation - which of course was also impossible if you didn't have a lot of money to spare.

Considering Takijami was one of the richest people in the village thanks to his position as Head of Konoha's Merchant Guild, money was obviously not a problem. Quite the opposite, actually; no other place would be good enough for a person of his standing.

If Izumi remembered the invitation letter correctly, he had even rented one of the private banquet halls! She had no idea how many of them the restaurant had but doubted that it could be very many.

"Shisui, Izumi, welcome to the Narisawa. I was already wondering where you were."

All this was very impressive, of course, but what interested Izumi much more was the identity of the restaurant's owners.

Shisui snorted. "Eh, what are you saying, Yukio? We aren't late, are we? I'm pretty sure we still have plenty of time left before we're expected."

One wouldn't have guessed it from his behaviour alone, but Yukio's family was actually one of the wealthiest in the village due to their family's business. It was actually kind of a surprise that he had even become a shinobi in the first place considering he would have had a pretty easy life if he just concentrated on helping out in the restaurant in preparation of inheriting it one day, but then again, many children had quite the romanticized expectation of shinobi life and consequently wanted to become one themselves.

Although since he has started to pull back from active duty more and more to focus on just that for a few years now, things worked out that way anyway, she thought. While Izumi didn't know him all that well, she had heard that much from Itachi and Shisui. The latter was actually kind of a surprise as he had no good reason to stay in contact with Yukio, but apparently, the two of them hit off right away during Itachi's birthday party just prior to their Chūnin Exams and they stayed friends ever since.

Izumi personally suspected it had something to do with Shisui wanting to keep an eye on Itachi through Yukio, but as she had no proof of that, she never voiced that thought out loud.

"That might be the case," Yukio said with a grin. "However, it's usually polite to be five minutes early."

"Really? I thought it's fashionable to be a bit too late, actually."

"Maybe for the top dogs, yes, but you hardly count to that group."

Shisui let out an exaggerated gasp. "Don't you know who I am? I-"

Before this spiel could continue for much longer, Izumi rammed her heel onto his foot, making him stop mid-sentence with a surprised squeak that she just knew was fake- after all, there was no way he didn't see her 'attack' coming. Still, she appreciated that he didn't even try to dodge, so she didn't berate him for his over-the-top reaction.

"If you two keep this up for much longer, we really will be late," she said with a pointed look at Shisui before smoothing her face into a smile and turning towards the other boy. "It's good to see you, Yukio-kun, but would you mind leading us to the banquet now?"

The reason that he had been waiting for them at the entrance was probably that he had seen their names on the guest list and wanted to accompany them personally rather than let any of the other employees do it. Perks of being the son of the owner, I guess.

"Of course," he immediately agreed. "Also, don't worry, I was just kidding. You're neither too late nor too early, so nobody should say anything." He was about to turn around and lead the way when he abruptly stopped and gave them both a critical once-over. Then, before Izumi could ask what was wrong, his face transformed into a teasing grin and he gave them two thumbs-up. "By the way, you two look really good together! I was wondering when Shisui was finally going to ask you out, so it's nice to see that he's finally got his act together!"

And with just that, the easy-going atmosphere was once more replaced by one of embarrassment as both she and Shisui simultaneously turned bright red.

Yukio's very unprofessional sniggers accompanied them all the way to the banquet hall.

"It wouldn't hurt you to smile a bit, you know."

Fugaku didn't even bother to reply to that, and she suspected the only reason he didn't roll his eyes at her was that they were in public and he wouldn't do something he consider unsightly when in presence of so many people.

"Come one," Mikoto said teasingly while gently nudging her shoulder against his. "They're cute together, aren't they? Even you can't deny that."

"I guess…"

She couldn't help but chuckle at her husband's grumpy reply.

They were obviously talking about Izumi and Shisui. Usually, Fugaku and her were some of the last people to arrive at such events, but this time, she had urged him to arrive early simply because she had wanted to be there when her son's friends arrived. And oh, had it been worth it! The two looked beautiful together, their clothes making for a perfect contrast to each other, and the blush on both their cheeks was simply adorable!

Mikoto had always told herself that she would never become the kind of meddling old woman that played matchmaker and then gushed over the results, but watching the two of them now, she suddenly felt a bit more understanding for her mother and aunts who she had been so annoyed with in her youth.

That wasn't to say that she thought she was old, of course. It was merely a manner of speaking, nothing more.

"Isn't that kimono one of yours?"

She shot Fugaku a surprised look. "You recognize it?"

"Of course. That's the one you wore the first time I asked you out on a date, isn't it?"

Mikoto could honestly not say that she had expected him to remember that. Truth to be told, even she hadn't remembered that until he mentioned it. And people say he's cold.

Against her will, her lips curved into a wide smile. "It is, yes. I knew she didn't have anything suitable to wear and didn't want her to waste all her money on some clothes she will wear only once or twice a year when she and Hazuki already have so little money to begin with, so I gave it to her."

Only members of high-society came to Takijami's birthday parties, so Izumi would surely have stood out like a sore thumb if she were the only one with suitable clothes. Considering almost half of the hundred or so guests that were expected were other Uchiha, that would not only have been very embarrassing for her but would surely also be held against her from the rest of the clan for years to come.

"That was very kind of you."

"And they do look good together, don't they?"

Oh, she could practically feel how hard he tried not to smile in order to keep up his usual stern expression.

"They do."

Well, I guess that's all I'm getting out of him for now, she thought amused. While many would probably find it hard to believe, her husband was actually very invested in the happiness of his family- and that didn't include just their close relatives but the entire clan. When it was just the two of them, he was even quite the gossip!

She understood why he was so grumpy, though. After all, he had been hoping that Itachi would develop an interest in Izumi for years now. It had been a possibility, of course, and Mikoto couldn't say she would have been unhappy with her as a daughter in law, but there had never been a sign of him being interested in her like that. She herself had given up hope on Izumi marrying into the family when the girl's crush on her son had slowly transformed into a normal friendship, but Fugaku held out hope, so it was only natural that he would be disappointed now.

Not that he would ever admit that, mind you.

Sometimes he's really too stubborn for his own good.

The banquet hall was even more impressive than Izumi had expected. Not only was it massive in size –hurray for the advantages that Ninjutsu brought for architects and engineers- with great pillars that supported the ceiling thorough the hall, but there were also beautiful pictures hanging on every wall, gorgeous plants all over the place, and a great spiral staircase made of marble on the left side. The only thing she thought was somewhat obnoxious were the numerous Uchiha fans one could find everywhere; they were on banners that hung on the wall, sewn on clothing, and even engraved on plates.

Izumi understood clan pride, she really did, but this really went too far.

Still, even that wasn't enough to blemish the beauty of the place.

Unfortunately, something else could.

There were dozens of round tables spread around the room with six chairs each, and everyone had an assigned seat that was marked through a nameplate. She and Shisui were located somewhere in the centre, not too close to the stage at the end of the hall from which Takijami gave his welcome speech to be mistaken for guests of honour but not at the other end either, so that wasn't too bad. The problem was the other people sitting with them, however.

The two of them actually had a good time. As soon as they had given their obligatory congratulations to Takijami, they went to their then still empty table and just enjoyed themselves. While certainly still a bit tense, they didn't let that get in the way, and for a while, everything was fine.

Then the first couple arrived to join them at their table and everything went downhill from there.

Izumi didn't know what it was, but for some reason, they didn't seem to like them. She suspected they might be offended to be seated with 'children' judging from their comments, but she couldn't be sure. It was silly, honestly; while Izumi with fourteen was probably the youngest person in the hall, there were quite a few people who were just a bit older than she was. Shisui was sixteen, for example, and she had seen others who looked the same age.

Takijami clearly wanted to make connections with the talented individuals of the next generation.

That couple didn't care about that, though, and neither did the one that arrived soon after. They would utter one insult hidden behind a veil of false pleasantry after another for the entirety of the meal, and by the end of the first hour, she was done with her nerves.

She couldn't be as vindictive in return as she would have liked because these people were too influential and could make her –and her mother's- life unnecessarily difficult, and Shisui could only redirect so much attention away from her.

Thus, when their plates were removed by waiters and some entertainment began to play on the stage, Izumi finally had the chance to slip away without being impolite. The only question left was which excuse she should use to leave. How about…

"Would you like to see the garden?"

She blinked as she looked up in surprise at Shisui who had stood up and stepped next to her seat without her even realizing it. "What garden?"

"Didn't you wonder where the staircase leads to?" he asked her with a small smile on his lips. "This hall is only rented out by the richest of the rich, so of course they needed a garden where they can breathe some fresh air or get a smoke." He then leaned down to her close enough to make Izumi feel his breath on her cheek, making it hard to concentrate on the whispered words that followed. "I went there to hide the few times I was here when I grew tired of dealing with all these people, y'see."

Izumi naturally didn't need to think about that for long, so she grasped his offered hand and let him help her up. Then, before he could let go of her, she decided to be bold and linked her right arm with his left one.

"Ehm, that-"

"Well then, shall we?"

Letting him acknowledge her action would have been way too embarrassing, so she stopped him before he could do so. However, even as it was, she couldn't quite meet his eye.

Her legs felt like jelly, she was sure her hands were sweaty, and every step she made felt stiff and ungraceful, but somehow they made it all the way through the hall and up the staircase without her tripping over her own feet while also talking with each other.

The garden, as it turned out, was quite a lot bigger than Izumi had expected. She couldn't even see the end of it! How such a thing could exist in the centre of Konoha's commercial area, she didn't know. Trust the Narisawa to somehow manage it, though.

There were flowerbeds in all kinds of colours, beautiful hedges cut in form of animals, well-kept walkways that weaved their way through the garden, dozens of stone sculptures, and she even spotted not just one but two beautiful water fountains.

Especially with only the moonlight and a few scattered lanterns to lighten it up, the garden was simply gorgeous. She didn't even notice that she had started to follow one of the paths, her eyes fixed on the sight around her and her arm still intertwined with Shisui's arm, so caught up was she in the view around her.

"It's beautiful…"

"It really is."

Izumi playfully swatted his hand. "You just wasted a perfectly fine opportunity to say 'just like you', you know."

The red hush on his cheeks grew a bit more prominent, but he still managed to give her a cheeky grin in return. "I already told you that when I picked you up, didn't I?"

"You will hardly make a girl unhappy by calling her beautiful more than once."

"I will keep that in mind for next time, then."

Izumi tried to appear confident, but with how wildly her heart was beating in her chest, she was probably just as much of a mess as he was. "Oh~, so there will be a next time?"

"W-well, today was kind of a flop. It's only right that I make this up to you with another, much better date, right?"

"That's a good point." She initially wanted to pretend to think about it for a bit, but her grin certainly gave her away anyway, so she didn't bother. "Alright then, you got yourself a second date. Better be glad that you're cute, though."

He gave a startled snort. "'Cute'? Just to let you know, girls usually call me handsome!"

"Okay, first, I will be nice and just ignore that you used what other girls say about you as an argument," she said, suppressing a giggle when the realization that he said something wrong crept upon his face. It wasn't as if she was truly mad, after all. "Second, you're still a few years too young to call yourself 'handsome', Mister! Maybe grow yourself a beard first or something."

He drew a grimace. "A beard? Really?"

Izumi tilted her head and imagined it for a second before mirroring his expression. "You know what? Never mind. I take it back." Now that had truly been a cursed image.

"How comes that I can't be 'handsome' but you can be 'beautiful', though?"

"It's a difference between men and women."

"What about girls, then?"

She shot him a half-hearted glare. "I might have thought twice about accepting your invitation for another date had I known that accepting it would make you this bold."

"Ah, that may be, but it's too late for that now," he said with a chuckle. "There's no turning back now."

The path they were walking on came to an end in front of a fountain, forcing them to stop in front of it.

"This date hasn't been too bad either, you know."

Judging by his surprised expression, that was probably the last thing he had expected her to say. He caught himself quickly, however, and shot her an amused look. "You think being insulted for over an hour isn't all that bad? Whew, in that case, I would need to seriously mess our next date up to actually make you mad, wouldn't I?"

Izumi rolled her eyes at that, but her smile mirrored his own. "Hey, I'm trying to be nice here! And besides, all I'm really saying is that it could have been worse."

"How could this have been possibly any worse?"

"I don't know… we could have been seated with some Hyūga, I guess?"

They both had to chuckle at that. Everyone knew about the famous rivalry between the Uchiha and the Hyūga that already lasted for countless generations and showed no signs of stopping any time soon. If they had been forced to sit with some of their clan members, they would have needed to endure much more than just some barely veiled insults and cold stares.

"Small mercies, that."

"Mm-hmm."

They both fell silent, but it somehow wasn't uncomfortable.

This wasn't the first time they just enjoyed each other's company in silence. Sometimes it was just the two of them and sometimes Itachi joined them as well, but regardless of what was the case, they could easily switch between teasing each other and just sitting side by side and focusing on whatever they were doing with the unspoken assurance that they weren't alone.

This time felt different, however. Izumi couldn't pinpoint what exactly had changed, but there was definitively something else in the air right now that was usually amiss.

The kimono really suits him, though. It was impossible to say where that thought had come from, but it was certainly true. She had noticed it earlier as well, obviously, and even told him as much, but now, standing in the middle of the gardens with only the dim moonlight above and the flickering lanterns whose orange light reflected in the fountain to their side as light sources, she became more aware of it than ever. If she didn't know how much of a silly person he was, she could easily mistake him some perfect prince charming from a far-away country.

Izumi barely noticed that she was slowly leaning closer towards him, or that he was tilting his head down towards her to be at eye level with her. Just a little bit closer…

"Shisui, I was hoping to speak with you for a moment."

They jumped apart as if they had been burned, their faces flushing beet red for what felt like the hundredth time this day.

The newcomer -Fugaku- looked from one of them to another, a small frown on his face, before his eyes suddenly widened fractionally in what Izumi thought was realization. She thought he even looked uncomfortable for a second there, but that was probably just her imagination; he would never show something like that in front of others, after all.

"Fugaku-san," Shisui said, his voice a pitch higher than usual. "That's, eh, well-"

Fortunately for him, another voice interrupted him before he could lose even more face in front of their clan head.

"Fugaku, what do you think you're doing?"

Mikoto wore her usual smile, but it would be evident to anyone with eyes that she was displeased.

"Nothing that can't wait, I think," he said, clearly wanting to get out of this situation as well, before turning back towards Shisui. "Just come and find me whenever-"

"No!" he interrupted him, apparently uncaring about just how rude that was. "Now is great, actually. Let's talk. Shall we go back inside?"

As if interrupting him wasn't already enough, he then also began hurriedly leading Fugaku back to where they had come from without as much as a glance back. Even more surprisingly, Fugaku didn't comment on either and only gave her a short nod before following Shisui with long strides that looked just a little bit too deliberately calm even to her.

That left only her and Mikoto behind.

"… I apologize for that. I shouldn't have let him out of my sight."

Izumi shook her head while taking a deep breath to make sure that her voice wasn't shaky when she spoke. "It's alright. You couldn't have known."

"Still, I'm sorry." Then, after a few seconds of silence, she continued with a more teasing tone. "So, what exactly were the two of you-"

"Nothing!" The look she gave Mikoto was both heated and pleading in equal measures. "We were doing nothing!"

The woman chuckled but thankfully didn't pursue the point any further.

I correct myself, Izumi thought with a small pout as she looked in the direction Shisui had vanished. This date was horrible.

Obito waited until Pain's hologram had vanished before he let out a thoughtful hum. "So there's another Uchiha with a Mangekyō, huh? How unexpected…"

From what Pain had told him, Kisame had apparently fought Itachi Uchiha and failed to eliminate him. That alone would already be an impressive feat for a thirteen-year-old, but the fact that the boy also possessed those eyes made the situation all that more interesting.

It also raised the question of how he had acquired them in the first place. Obito kept a close eye on the Uchiha that left the village for missions and had Zetzu report any death in the KMPF to him just to be aware of potential Mangekyō users, but as far as he knew, there hadn't been any incident that could have awakened it in the boy in question. Consequently, Shisui Uchiha should be the only other Uchiha aside from himself that possessed those eyes.

"How very interesting indeed."

He had long since excluded the possibility of making Shisui his pawn, but this new figure was still an unknown. There was no immediate need for him, but the additional firepower would certainly be useful in the future if he could acquire it. I will have to look into his background to see if there's something I can use.

Anyway, he should probably make sure to first get the full picture of this specific incident before he made any further plans. For that, he needed to hear the opinion from someone who had observed the fight from afar instead of actively participating in it. After all, all he knew right now was what Kisame had told Pain.

"Zetzu," he said out loud, knowing that his spy was close enough to hear him even if he couldn't see them. "Is there anything you want to add to Kisame's report?"

"Not much," a dark voice spoke up from behind him. "Kisame is very observant. He missed almost nothing."

"You say 'almost'." Obito didn't even bother turning around to face them. "That means there is something he did miss, then."

"Just one thing," a high-pitched voice replied, meaning the white half must have been the one to speak this time. "When he was trapped inside the barrier, the Uchiha had his Mangekyō activated and one eye closed, clearly preparing a technique of some kind."

"However," the dark voice added. "As soon as Kisame broke free, he stopped channelling chakra into it and proceeded with getting into close-combat and using the technique Kisame has reported of."

So he has already mastered his second ability as well, then. It was a shame that they had no idea what it was, but just knowing that he had something else up his sleeve was already useful. Furthermore, it was fair to assume from Zetzu's report that he required both a direct line of sight and his opponent to stand still. The former was nothing too unusual and to be expected, but the latter was useful.

"Is there anything else?"

"No, that's it."

"Then go and report this information to Pain as well."

Zetzu gave an affirmative hum before once more vanishing into the ground.

Things are starting to get interesting, aren't they? With how rare the Mangekyō was, he hadn't really expected another pair to plop up any time soon. It hadn't been impossible, of course, but Obito honestly hadn't thought it likely enough to be of any concern. I guess I should start my investigation sooner rather than later. No reason for putting it off, after all.

The Mangekyō was a powerful weapon and could be a great asset, but it could also become a major obstacle later on. Depending on the results of his research, he would be forced to make a decision about how to handle the situation.

It was one thing to allow one pair of such eyes to stay in Konoha's hands. Getting rid of such a prominent shinobi was quite a hassle and Obito wanted to avoid dealing with that kind of thing if he could help it, at least for now while Akatsuki was still so young and any additional attention would cause unnecessary problems.

Two pairs of these eyes, on the other hand…

Well, he really couldn't leave that kind of firepower in the hands of his enemies forever, could he?

Did Fugaku just kissblock (is that even a word?) Izumi & Shisui? Why, yes he did! I feel a bit bad for them but also find it hilarious for some reason, so it's here to stay lol

On another, much more important note, this was the last chapter in this arc! Yes, the "Swordsmen of the Mist" – arc is finally finished. Don't understand me wrong, I enjoyed writing it a lot, but I'm also kinda tired of it and look forward to writing what I have planned next.

I wanted this last chapter to be something fluffy because the rest of the arc was really action-heavy, but then I remembered that I still needed to include that Obito scene and… well, yeah, it didn't turn out quite as fluffy as planned, I guess.

Also, this story is now officially 200k words long! Hurray! :)